Why Group Discussion is Conducted?

Why Group Discussion is Conducted?

A job interview is a process. Organizations looking to hire candidates for the advertised post make the candidates go through various stages of the interview process. Some organizations can have a three-step process while others can even conduct a five-step process to select the right candidate. It’s totally up to the organization and its HR policy.

Group Discussion is one of the most effective ways to judge an aspirant whether he is the right candidate for the post or not. This is one of the reasons why most organizations have made Group Discussion as an integral part of their job recruitment process.

Group Discussion and Recruitment Process

Let us look at the concept of Group Discussion from the Organization’s point of view by answering a few powerful questions.

The most common type of group discussion related to recruitment carried out by many organizations is a topic based discussion. Here the participants are given a topic on the spot. The topics can be related to the happenings at that time. The group is given a fixed time and they are required to have a discussion on that topic.

Importance of Group Discussion

Where does Group Discussion (GD) fit into an interview process?

Group discussion is one of the preliminary and extremely important rounds in an interview process. It can occur either at the first stage or the second stage of the interview round. Here the candidate has the opportunity to create an impression about him.

Group discussion is a task that has no declared leader. The platform is open for anyone to take charge and coordinate the discussion. The recruiter will be looking if anyone can see the gap and establish himself as a natural leader as well as set the pace of the discussion

Why Group Discussion is conducted?

Purpose of Group Discussion:

Organizations engaging in recruitment drive conduct Group Discussion with a purpose. The purpose may vary from organization to organization. Here I would like to mention one purpose of conducting a Group Discussion.

When an organization advertises for a post to be filled, it only has a limited requirement in terms of how many posts it wants to fill. Prospect candidates applying for the post can be in hundreds or even thousands. It is not possible to conduct a personal interview with so many candidates to understand their capabilities. So the organization needs to put the candidates in various situations and then observe how they respond. Based on the candidate’s performance they are either selected for the next round or are filtered out. The first filtration might occur at the resume level. The HR rejects many candidates after going through their resumes. The reason of rejection can be the candidate not fulfilling the criteria required to fill the post.

The shortlisted candidates are then called for the next round that can be Group Discussion round. Here again, a major filtration takes place and only select few are chosen for the next round of interview.

Having said that, there is one Higher Purpose of making the candidates go through the process of Group Discussion.

Let’s look into it.

To understand the bigger purpose of a group discussion one needs to understand that man is a social being. No man is an island. No one can live in isolation.

Individually a man can be a genius. But if he is not able to interact in a healthy 
manner with his colleagues or the people around him, he is no good for the 
organization. These kinds of individuals can do more harm to the organization than good. They will create hurdles in the realization of the organization’s goals, thus making them injurious to the overall well being of an organization.

On the other hand, some individuals can work really well when alone. They will surprise everyone with their performance. But when they are brought in to a group their personality might completely change. They may become shy or go into a shell. This may affect their performance and also the performance of the entire group.

An organization is coming together of people from various backgrounds with an array of skills to work together to fulfill the goals of that organization. So, the firms that conduct group discussions as an interview process want their candidates to have social skills that will help them to work efficiently in their organization as a team player.

Objectives of Conducting a Group Discussion

The main objective of conducting a Group Discussion is to look for certain qualities in a candidate. These qualities will decide if the candidate is a right fit for the organization.

What are the important traits that are tested in a group discussion?

The HR or the head of the organization has already designed the qualities that they want in a candidate if he or she has to succeed in the job. They come to conduct the Group Discussion with that clarity in mind.

Some of the qualities or important traits that are tested in a group discussion by the HR in a candidate during Group Discussion are –

1.    COMMUNICATION SKILLS: 

Most of the candidates think that communication means speaking good in English. Please understand that Communication is not English Speaking. The person evaluating the Group Discussion wants to see how well you are able to communicate your ideas with the group. If the Group Discussion is in English then yes, knowing to speak fluent English can be an added advantage. But even if you can’t speak fluent English, it’s okay. You should know how to communicate your ideas with the group using whatever English you know.

2.    ABILITY TO THINK ON ONE’S FEET: 

The candidates appearing for a Group Discussion are not give the topic in advance. So, even though they may come prepared, they don’t know what will be the topic of the Group Discussion? The purpose of giving the topic on the spot to the group is to test their ability to think on their feet. Can the candidate think within seconds and be an active participant in the Group Discussion? If yes then the chances of the candidate getting selected for the next round skyrockets.

3.    REASONING ABILITY: 

In a Group Discussion the group has to discuss a topic given. They have to present their ideas and opinion on that topic. Here the person evaluating checks the candidates for his ability to support his point of view with facts and examples. Sometimes a candidate supports a point of view but is not able to justify why he has taken that stance. This sends negative signals to the person evaluating the candidate.

 4.    LEADERSHIP SKILLS: 

The leadership skills of the candidates is judged by the behavior he displays in the group. If a candidate can take the initiative and start the discussion he is considered to possess leadership qualities. He is the one who sets the tone of the Group Discussion for others to follow. If someone tries to deviate from the topic, the leader brings him back on the track of the subject being discussed. If a candidate is also able to conclude the Group Discussion at the proper time, he again exhibits leadership qualities.

5.    TEAM BUILDING SKILLS: 

Even though the candidates sitting for Group Discussion have come to participate, not everybody in a Group Discussion becomes a part of the Discussion. There can be many reasons for keeping quiet. If one of the candidates in the group can address them and inspire them to share their opinions in the discussion then that candidate is considered to have team building skills. He is inspiring his teammates to come forward and present their ideas and enrich the discussion. This is a positive sign.

6.    PERSUASIVE ABILITY: 

Just having good communication skills is not enough. You need to have the ability to persuade the group to fall in line with your way of thinking. To test your persuasive skill they will observe how you talk and express yourself in a given situation. Can you convince the group with your talk? What other techniques do you use to convince your group?

7.    APPROACH TOWARDS GROUP DISCUSSION: 

The recruiter wants to test if the candidate is co-operative and has a positive approach towards the group activity. In a group discussion, the thoughts and ideas of a person can be rejected or challenged. How does the candidate behave under such a scenario? Does he go into a shell or starts arguing with other group members?

The person evaluating the Group Discussion can also use a set of questions to judge a candidate. Here are a few of them –

Q1. Did the candidate show confidence from the moment he entered till the time he left the Group Discussion room?

Q2. Was the candidate presentable?

Q3. What was the Body language of the candidate?

Q4. Did the candidate actively participate in the Group Discussion?

Q5. Did the candidate take the initiative to begin and /or summarise the Group Discussion?

Q6. How was the response or reaction of the candidates towards other group members during the Group Discussion?

Q7. Were the ideas presented by the candidate unique and interesting?

Q8. Was the candidate a team player? Did he take the initiative to involve other members of the group in the discussion?

Q9. Did he listen to other group members?

Q10. Did he speak and convey his points with clarity?

So, above are some of the qualities or personal traits that most of the organizations look at in a candidate when they conduct the Group Discussion round.

Group Discussion has become one of the biggest tools in the hands of corporate looking to recruit the right candidates for their organization. They use this tool to filter out candidates.

Now let’s take a step ahead and go through few points that the recruiters DON’T want you to do or exhibit during a Group Discussion.

The DON’Ts of Group Discussion:

1.    Remain Silent for too long: 

The time limit for a group discussion is very less. The group is given about 8 – 15 minutes to discuss on a topic. If you remain silent for say about one minute, you are out of the game. It’s a group discussion and the most important resource at hand is time. You cannot remain silent for too long. You need to jump into the action within 10 – 15 seconds.

2.    Look at One Person while talking: 

During a group discussion, most people tend to get quickly into a comfort zone and start having a discussion with their immediate neighbor. This clearly shows your lack of confidence and that you have not understood the meaning of group discussion. It’s a group discussion and not a one to one discussion. You need to talk to the group as a whole and not just your immediate neighbor.

3.    Get emotional and switch off: 

If you don’t take your group discussion objectively, you are putting yourself in trouble. Some people are so touchy that even a small criticism makes them go into a shell and disconnect with others. Group Discussion is a platform to share your ideas, opinions, and knowledge about a topic without the expectation that all your ideas will be agreed upon by others. Don’t take things personally in a group discussion. Support your argument with valid points and examples. Remember, in a Group Discussion either you convince or you get convinced. Don’t let your emotions come in between.

Listening to a Group Discussion the recruiter can handpick the right candidate from the group. This is one of the biggest benefits of Group Discussion that an organization enjoys.

In Conclusion

Before I wrap up I need to just touch on one final question that can summarize the entire essay.

Why Group Discussion is Important?

If I had to pinpoint at a single quality that the organizations want their candidates to possess is to be Group Worthy.

What do I mean by that?

What it takes to be worthy of being in a group means having the willingness and ability to fit into a group. He should be able to jell with the group members. To be able to bind with the entire team together as a single entity and not getting into group politics inside the group. He should be able to contribute to and influence the group in a positive way towards the realization of the group’s goals.

If you really want to shine in any Group Discussion you need to know what you should be doing and also what you should not be doing. 

In this blog, I have attempted to state the objectives of Group Discussion from an organization’s point of view. In addition to the above points be observant and alert about what is happening in the Group Discussion.

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